Friend said CR treated them terribly as they were SOG

I REALLY hope this is just an isolated incident, as we stayed at the CR last summer and had the most wonderful time, but.....friend and her family(5 rooms all-together) were there from 6/9-6/15 and said the room they were in (my friends) had the ceiling collapse from an a/c leak problem. The mess landed all over their belongings as they did a quick unpack and hit the parks. When they returned and found the wet MESS all over everything and one of the beds they called the front desk. Clerk said (and I quote as she DID get into trouble for this) "We can't do anything for you SOG people!" My friend called her number for SOG explained and within the hour they were moved to a new room, but carpet was wet and torn, toilet chipped and draperies half apart. They again requested a different move and stated that the time they lost cleaning up their wet belongings and re-packing was a shame...and the CM showing them the room said something like at the rate you people are getting I wouldn't complain! I just can't believe it...2 nasty CM'S in the same day over the same problem? My friend quietly went to the desk, asked for a manager and said that they are not requesting another room change, but she did want to inform him that w/out the brave military personal who have fought for freedom, the CM'S would not have freedom of speech to speak so poorly to hotel guests. My friend said she felt like the CR treated them as trash and will never stay there again...no matter HOW decent the rate is. She said she would rather pay the 18 more it would've cost for the All Stars per room that is as they have stayed there for the fun feel B4 and truly loved it. The CR did send them $25 in disney dollars to spend as they wish to make up for their lost park time, which I thought was a nice move... but maybe a little too late. They also spoke to some people at the pool who madethe comment that they were placed in the SLUM section of the N.Wing w/all the other SOG people! So I guess my friend wasn't the only one who felt a bit different about it all.
As I said, we were there last July and LOVED it...but we are not military. I felt so bad as I raved about the place and said how lucky they were to stay there......I hope all the bitterness any CM'S HAVE IS GONE NOW!

That's just terrible. I hope that it was just those couple of CMs with the attitude and not resort wide. There is no excuse for such rudeness. Do they keep all the SOG people together in the same building?

DIS SponsorThe Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin is located in the heart of the Walt Disney World Resort.

I am sorry for the treatment your friends got at CR. I am sure that the thoughtless CMs who said those things to them just felt overworked and frustrated at the moment, but that certainly does not excuse their behavior.

Your friends did the right thing to complain to the management about the issue. Hopefully it will be dealt with.

No one should be treated disrespectfully, irregardless of how much or how little money they are spending to stay at a resort.

I've been hearing lots of problems with CR Staff towards SoG guests. I'm assuming that they figure that with the room rate SoG guests are getting, they don't deserve much more. But, they should receive the same treatment that all guests of the resort get. I've only stayed at the CR as a paying guest (NYE 2001/2002), and was treated well by the front desk and the concierge.

Can someone please asure me that this is an isolated incident? I hope to use the SoG rate at CR in June 2003 and I would rather pay more to stay somewhere else than be treated so poorly at what is s'posed to be one of the nicest Deluxe resorts on property.

If anyone has gotten the SoG rate and loved the CR, please let me know so I won't chicken out.

Wow, that is really inexcusable. What a person PAYS for a room should be totally irrelevant, the service should be the same regardless. It's especially sad when our military folks, who deserve the utmost in dignity and respect, are treated this way. It's not THEIR fault that SOG is undergoing a rehab and they are given the CR instead.

What horrible news!! Finfan, I completly agree with the statement your friend made at the front desk to the manager..I am so shocked! I too will be staying there next May/June 03 under SoG for my honeymoon, and I would love some reassurance that this was just a one time deal, or I just might chicken out too! Golly Day!

That is horrible to be treated that way, but what in the world are they thinking letting the rooms get that bad! I've heard so many comments on this board about worn out, dirty, etc. I would hate to take a risk paying for a room on site at what they cost and be disappointed.

I'm very sorry your friend had such a bad experience, but I wouldn't let it scare anyone away from using the SoG rates there:

1--It's such a great deal, why let a couple of bad apple CMs spoil it? You earned this!
2--Who cares about the comments from other resort guests?
3--Sounds like SoG management responded quickly.
4--Sounds like CR management also responded well ($25 plus the post says the first CM got in trouble)
5--What are the odds of a disaster like this occuring (without which your friend's stay might have gone along just fine).
6--CR and SoG staff are probably still working out a few bugs with regard to who's responsible for responding to these kinds of problems.

I would say that the best things to do if you are anticipating a trip to the CR:

Phone Shades of Green to express your concern about the treatment of SOG guests that you have become aware of. If they hear this enough, they will contact CR management about this. They certainly don't want their guests treated poorly.

Phone CR management or write a letter with the same intention. They may not have any idea that this problem is widespread if it, in fact, is a recurring problem.

I forwarded the thread to Thomas Hawes, executive offices at wdwguest.communications@disney.com. Hopefully he will look into the problem and address the errant ways of the personnel working at the CR. My wife and I along with our son and fiance are arriving on 6/23 for a week stay at the CR and as military, will be staying in the "SOG" area. We do not consider ourselves as less then equals to anyone else that goes to Disney. Therefore, we will not tolerate mistreatment or arrogance by any employee of Disney.
I work as a public relations specialist for the Air National Guard and will not hesitate to convey to MWR any adverse treatment we encounter as members of the military and DOD.
Hopefully this was a isolated incident.

maybe the "complaining" CM's need to spend a little time at boot camp (think they'd make it?) and then maybe a little time overseas seeing how hard our miltary work for a living! I hear that certain mountainous regions are particularly lovely this time of year! Oh- and maybe they could spend 6 months or more working out problems on their own while their significant other is out at sea......or be out at sea and miss the birth of their child, or other important family events. We all know military life is really a walk in the park, afterall!

Ugh! I know the CM's may have been having a hard day- but there is no excuse for that kind of behavior!!!!!

Thank you all for your terrific insight and support on this incident...I REALLY hesitated posting as I did not wish to upset anyone, but DID want to give a heads up about the rude behavior of CM's, and poor treatment of hotel guests. As I read the post by ideveaux, I am glad I posted as hopefully a positive step has been made to prevent any further guests from , as my friend said, " a humiliating experience".... she expressed those feelings to me, not the CR as she wanted to focus on the Enjoyable park time they had. I truly believe the CR is a fantastic resort and I personally would stay in a heartbeat again if I could afford it.....but we did not encounter ANY negative things there at all that would have given me sad memories. My friends family also felt that the treatment was less than gracious, bu ththey are choosing to focus on the fact that they were still all able to be in the samr resort together and enjoy their trip as a big family. They did have a great time at Chef Mickey's for bksft ...and kids loved the arcade area...as stated MANY times by travelers, NO hotel or RESORT is w/out it's faults....and my friend still feels WDW itself is the happiest place on earth!

What an awful way to begin a Disney vacation. I hope the rest of the trip went better. I hope this attitude issue is resolved soon. The amount you pay for a room should not dictate the treatment you receive.

How sad!! Since management obviously agreed to the rates offered to SOG at the CR, that makes those rates the "posted rates" for that group and everyone should be treated equally!! It irritates me when discounts are OFFERED and then guests are treated like beggars. No one forces management to give these discounts, they are used as a publicity tool. That means guests with discounts should not be placed in the sub-standard rooms, etc. People with discounts paid what the asking rate was at that time and were lucky enough to get the rate before it was gone. Especially for military families- they deserve to relax when they get a chance!

Finfan,
It's not only SOG guests that they put in rooms next on the re-hab schedule....In my experience as a CM, every time I stayed at a Disney resort with a CM discount, the rooms were sorely in need of a face-lift! A fellow castmember has also experienced this.
Their attitude was "you get what you pay for".
Very poor attitude. If the rooms need work, then the whole wing should be shut down and repaired. Unfortunately, that would result in lower occupancy and revenue. Something the beancounters frown upon. They wait for things to practically fall apart. The condition of the rooms at CR North Wing are inexcusable for any resort , let alone the supposedly high standards of Disney.
But I was a CM who worked for Disney selling Disney. I had to recommend these same resorts to guests. There were many times when I would be very hesitant to do so.

It's too bad that some of the magic was missing from your friend's trip. I do hope that they enjoyed their stay despite of the resort problems.
Kerri

I stayed at CR for 2 days with an SoG rate and was less than happy. However, to be fair, I did not feel I was signaled out because I was a SoG guest. The CM's were less than friendly but that was primarily at the monorail where they don't know what kind of discount you are getting. So they were unfriendly to everyone! I did leave tips for what turned out to be poor maid service until the last day when I stopped. I was disappointed with the pool and food court. But I was spoiled by the Evergreens at SoG and everyone is aware that the CR pools are older. BUT - the access to MK was wonderful! The rooms are big and the decor, while loud, was okay. My DGD loved the colors. Also we really enjoyed the ease or getting to Chef Mickey's and being able to see the water parade right outside our room. Also it was cool to catch the monorail for a quick trip to the Poly to grab dessert! Will we be back? Yes, next February. But we will eat more meals outside the park. I did not like the quality or price of the food court, but then again I was spoiled by the Evergreen.

Sorry guys but I find this whole experience as unexceptable! There have been a "few" DIs'rs that have had CMs make comments on the rates they are getting and not just at SOG. WDW needs to give their resort CMs an atitude adjustment. I also do not think 25 WDW dollars makes up for a wet stinking mess in my luggage. Can you imagine how much time and effort that took to clean that mess up out of your suitcase. Not how I would want to spend a days vacation . I give your friend credit for not focusing on this and ketting it ruin her vacation but having come home now I would raise H*LL! Management can not adress these problems if they are not aware of them.